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A friend asked why I haven't been blogging. It is fairly simple. I have something called ET. NO, not an extraterrestial, but a nuerological disorder that causes tremors. It is called Essential Tremor. This spring it has been fairly active and typing while shaking is not my cup of tea,
To learn more about Movvvvvvement Disorders such as ET, visit We Move.org. For video that shows what living with a MD is like, vieww the Life in Motion video clips.
20 times more people have ET than Parkinsons Disease. This disorder can alter who we are. We find that you don't eat in social situations, we use check cards instead of writing checks. People ask if we are on something or suggest we enter a treatment program. We can be embarrassed by spilling things as we eat and drink and if you would like to help, please don't serve soup when we come to visit. Typing becomes difficult and we put in extra letters where we don't expect them. Drugs may help, but may also leave us feeling 'fuzzy' and 'not there' so don't be suprised when we say, "No, we don't take drugs to FIX it." Although, you may not reallise how many people have this disorder as they have found that they CAN successfully use medications to control the tremorrrrrrrrrr. EAch person is an individual and their tremor experience may be different than mine. Most of the people on the WeMove ET forum DO use medications successfully. I just can't, maybe some day.
We have all heard of all the new treatments, and no, vitamins and diet changes won't help. Most people living with ET inherited it and just as you get freckles or that double chin you hate, we have ET. 1 in 7 people live with a Movement Disorder. Many of us are living in hiding, afraid of the look in your eyes when we can't sign a check, or button our coat, or walk steadily down the street.
Please take the time to look at the websites and become educated. If you know someone who has a movement disorder, accept them, offer your friendship and look beyond the tremor to the person inside. To read what living with EEEET is like, take the time to read Tremor Tales by Elsie J. Doll, her poems will give you a glimpse into my world.
Joyfully, Cheryl
Counting it ALL joy. |
private joke. Having ET means carrying a cup of tea is almost impossible and raising it to your lips may mean we wear more than we drink. It means hitting the wrong key on a keyboard regularly. It meanws giving up playing the piano becauase our movement makes the music discordant. Living with ET means that preforming in public, speaking or singing is painful, as we try so hard to control the shaking we physically hurt. It also means that we forget what we want to say or sing as we concentrate on our tremor. It means calling our neighbor to put the screw back in our glasses so we can see and not wearing contacts as putting them in is downright dangerous. Comments